Cavaliers 129, Hornets 90: LeBron James scored 19 of his 25 points in the first half as Cleveland jumped all over visiting Charlotte for its fifth straight win.

James shot 9-of-15 from the floor and added nine assists and four steals while J.R. Smith added 21 points on 7-of-11 from the arc for the Cavaliers, who shot 51.7 percent, including 15-of-28 on 3-pointers. Kyrie Irving scored 18 points and Timofey Mozgov had 14 and 10 rebounds as Cleveland won the battle of the boards 56-42.

Al Jefferson had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets, who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 15 points and seven rebounds and Bismack Biyombo added 10 points as Charlotte shot 40.4 percent in losing for just the second time in 10 games.

Charlotte shot just 6-of-20 in the first quarter, Cleveland held a 19-6 edge on the boards and Smith was 3-of-3 from the arc as Cleveland pulled out to a 33-13 lead. James scored eight consecutive points as Cleveland took a 55-25 lead and Irving drained a shot from beyond the arc to push the lead to 65-27 with 5:10 left in the half.

In the second period alone, the Cavaliers poured in 42 points on a scorching 16-of-24 shooting, including 5-of-5 and 12 points by James, in building a 35-point bulge at the half. Smith hit four 3-pointers in the third quarter as Cleveland built a 43-point lead before the reserves finished it out.

GAME NOTEBOOK: In the Hornets' previous game against Miami, the Heat shot just 34.5 percent from the field and the Hornets won the battle of the boards 56-41. … The Cavs are averaging 115.6 points the last five games after not topping 101 in 12 consecutive games. … This was the Cavs' third of a four-game homestand during an extended stretch in which 10 of 13 games are at home.